Patent US5392234A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5392234A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Semiconductor memory device
Assignee: Panasonic Holdings Corp
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Filing: 1993-12-02
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Granted: 1995-02-21
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Expires: 2013-12-02
Abstract
Abstract Bit lines BL0 and /BL0 are connected to a sense amplifier SA0, the gate of a first MOS transistor to a first word line WL0, a first electrode of a first Ferroelectric capacitor Cs1 to the source of the first Qn, the drain of the first Qn to BL0, a second electrode of Cs1 to a first plate electrode CP0, the gate of a second MOS transistor Qn to a second word line DWL0, a first electrode of a second Ferroelectric capacitor Cd2 to the source of the second Qn, the drain of the second Qn to /BL0, and a second electrode of Cd1 to a second plate electrode DCP0, and after turning off the second Qn, the logic voltage of DCP0 is inverted. Hence, in a semiconductor memory device employing the Ferroelectric element, the dummy memory capacitor is initialized securely, and high speed reading is enabled without concentration of power consumption.
Inventors
- 👤 Hiroshige Hirano
- 👤 Tatsumi Sumi
- 👤 Nobuyuki Moriwaki
- 👤 George Nakane
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 20:48
CPC Classifications
G; G11; G11C; G11C11/00; G11C11/21; G11C11/22; G11C5/00; G11C5/06; G11C5/063
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
168 words
A semiconductor memory device comprising: an amplifier, a first bit line and a second bit line connected to the amplifier, a first ferroelectric capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode, a first word line and a second word line, a first MOS transistor having a gate connected to the first word line, a source connected to the first electrode of the first ferroelectric capacitor, and a drain connected to the first bit line, a first plate electrode connected to the second electrode of the first ferroelectric capacitor, a second ferroelectric capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode, and a second MOS transistor having a gate connected to the second word line, a source connected to the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor, and a drain connected to the second bit line, a second plate electrode connected to the second electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor, wherein a logic voltage of the second plate electrode is inverted after turning off the second MOS transistor.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
168 words
A semiconductor memory device comprising: an amplifier, a first bit line and a second bit line connected to the amplifier, a first ferroelectric capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode, a first word line and a second word line, a first MOS transistor having a gate connected to the first word line, a source connected to the first electrode of the first ferroelectric capacitor, and a drain connected to the first bit line, a first plate electrode connected to the second electrode of the first ferroelectric capacitor, a second ferroelectric capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode, and a second MOS transistor having a gate connected to the second word line, a source connected to the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor, and a drain connected to the second bit line, a second plate electrode connected to the second electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor, wherein a logic voltage of the second plate electrode is inverted after turning off the second MOS transistor.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
50 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein the logic voltages of the first plate electrode and the second plate electrode are inverted after turning off the second MOS transistor, and the first MOS transistor is turned off after the first plate electrode and the second plate electrode are inverted.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 2, wherein the first plate electrode and second plate electrode are connected.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
82 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein one of (a) before a start of writing, (b) after an end of writing, (c) before a start of reading, and (d) after an end of reading of memory cell data, the second bit line is set at a certain logic voltage, the second MOS transistor being activated, and then the logic voltage of the second plate electrode is set to a reverse value of the certain logic voltage of the second bit line.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
186 words
A semiconductor memory device comprising: an amplifier, a first bit line and a second bit line connected to the amplifier, a first ferroelectric capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode, a first word line and a second word line, a first MOS transistor having a gate coupled to the first word line, a source coupled to the first electrode of the first ferroelectric capacitor, and a drain coupled to the first bit line, a first plate electrode coupled to the second electrode of the first ferroelectric capacitor, a second ferroelectric capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode, a second MOS transistor having a gate coupled to the second word line, a source coupled to the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor, and a drain coupled to the second bit line, a second plate electrode coupled to the second electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor, and a third MOS transistor having a gate coupled to an initializing control signal line, a source coupled to an initializing potential signal line, and a drain coupled to the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
186 words
A semiconductor memory device comprising: an amplifier, a first bit line and a second bit line connected to the amplifier, a first ferroelectric capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode, a first word line and a second word line, a first MOS transistor having a gate coupled to the first word line, a source coupled to the first electrode of the first ferroelectric capacitor, and a drain coupled to the first bit line, a first plate electrode coupled to the second electrode of the first ferroelectric capacitor, a second ferroelectric capacitor having a first electrode and a second electrode, a second MOS transistor having a gate coupled to the second word line, a source coupled to the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor, and a drain coupled to the second bit line, a second plate electrode coupled to the second electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor, and a third MOS transistor having a gate coupled to an initializing control signal line, a source coupled to an initializing potential signal line, and a drain coupled to the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein the first plate electrode and second plate electrode are connected.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein the data initializing potential signal line is connected to a grounding potential.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
46 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein the logic voltage of the first bit line and the logic voltage of the second bit line are at a grounding potential, before a start of one of (a) writing and (b) reading of the memory cell data.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein after turning off the second MOS transistor, the third MOS transistor is turned on, and after the logic voltages of the first plate electrode and second plate electrode are inverted, the first MOS transistor is turned off.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
47 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein the first bit line has a logic voltage and wherein a logic voltage of the first plate electrode before reading of the memory cell data is an inverse logic voltage of the logic voltage of the first bit line.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
47 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein the first bit line has a logic voltage and wherein a logic voltage of the first plate electrode before reading of the memory cell data is an inverse logic voltage of the logic voltage of the first bit line.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
59 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein the first bit line has a logic voltage and wherein a logic voltage of the second plate electrode and a logic voltage of the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor before reading of the memory cell data are reverse logic voltages of the logic voltage of the second bit line.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
59 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein the second bit line has a logic voltage and wherein the logic voltage of the second plate electrode and a logic voltage of the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor before reading of the memory cell data are reverse logic voltages of the logic voltage of the second bit line.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
62 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor has a logic voltage and the logic voltage of the second plate electrode and a logic voltage of the second bit line before reading of the memory cell data are inverse logic voltages of the logic voltage of the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
63 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor has a logic voltage and wherein a logic voltage of the second plate electrode and a logic voltage of the second bit line before reading of the memory cell data are inverse logic voltages of the logic voltage of the first electrode of the second ferroelectric capacitor.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 10, wherein at least one of the logic voltage of the first plate electrode and the logic voltage of the second plate electrode is always the same value.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
34 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 11, wherein at least one of the logic voltage of the first plate electrode and the logic voltage of the second plate electrode is always the same value.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
34 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 12, wherein at least one of the logic voltage of the first plate electrode and the logic voltage of the second plate electrode is always the same value.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
34 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein after turning on the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor, logic voltages of the first plate electrode and the second plate electrode are inverted.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
34 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein after turning on the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor, logic voltages of the first plate electrode and the second plate electrode are inverted.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
69 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein after turning on the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor, a precharging of the first bit line and the second bit line to one logic voltage is terminated before a start of one of (a) reading and (b) writing of the memory cell data, and then logic voltages of the first plate electrode and second plate electrode are inverted.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
66 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein after turning on the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor, a precharging of the first bit line and the second bit line to one logic voltage is terminated before one of (a) reading and (b) writing of the memory cell data, and then logic voltages of the first plate electrode and second plate electrode are inverted.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
33 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 1, wherein after inverting the logic voltages of the first plate electrode and second plate electrode, the first MOS transistor and second MOS transistor are turned on.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
35 words
A semiconductor memory device of claim 5, wherein after inverting the logic voltages of the first plate electrode and the second plate electrode, the first MOS transistor and the second MOS transistor are turned on.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-02-20 | 1998-08-22 | 1999-02-21 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-02-20 | 2002-08-22 | 2003-02-21 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-02-20 | 2006-08-22 | 2007-02-21 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |